Road Trippin'

I think I have mentioned this once or twice,
but I have never traveled on an air plane.
and right now, im not to concerned about that.

Growing up any kind of vacation we did involved a road trip!
growing up we went to Idaho for family reunions,
we went to Arizona a few times to visit my aunt & unlce.
We also went to South Dakota twice to see my moms sister and her family.
There are more im sure, I just can't think of them all.
I tried looking for pictures, but I would probably have to get on my moms computer for those pictures

 so this is all I could find

 This was such a fun trip. I just love them all to pieces. I would love to take Hudson soon!!

 Right after I graduated high school, a few of my friends and I would go on a road trip every spring break.
The first trip was super short, we went to visit our friend at college in Rexburg, Idaho.
This was about a 4 ish hour drive. So just enough for our nervous parents!

The next year we went a little further and drove to Pheonix!
My wonderful aunt and uncle let us stay with them and we had a blast!
Tanner was also in school at this time so I got to see him :)
That was a big bonus.

The year after that we went to Washington.
This was by far the LONGEST road trip ever! It was about 16-17 hours one way.
But so worth it!
we drove up to Snoqualmi Washington then after a week we drove through Montana & down to Idaho to drop Bethany off at college.
I think this was my favorite vacation...well way up there any ways.
Not only is it just beautiful there, we got to see Seattle & Forks.
I got to ride a ferry, and see the ocean for the very first time!

The last 2 years I haven't gone on a road trip :(
Im having serious withdrawals...this is a yearly tradition since I was little!
But in a few short weeks I finally get to go on vacation!
I am very excited to take Hudson on his first road trip,
but im also nervous as hell.
The trip is going to be amazing.
also, a LOT of firsts.
I saw the ocean in Washington, but it was cold and a rocky beach.
So this will be my first mostly warm sandy beach!
It will be my little sister and Hudsons first time seeing the ocean too!
It is my sisters, Hudson's, and my first time to Disney Land :D
as excited as I am to go, I think im 80 times more happy to take Hudson!
We will also be stayin in Vegas.
How sad is it that we live about 6/7 hours from vegas and I have never been??
So, Another first!

I am nervous how Hudson is going to do on the road trip part though.
He does really really good in the car, but he has never spent more then 3-4 hours in the car.
And even then its broken up usually with atleast 1-2 stops/errands.

Does anyone have any advice on road tripping with a toddler?
Or some packing essentials for a vacation in general?

Im getting so so so excited, I need this vacation SO bad.

My Go To Baby Items

Now that I'm a momma, there are some products out there I have loved more then anything and would 100% recommend to any new mom. I picked a few to share today.

#1. Mesh Feeders

These are my all time favorite baby item ever! They help baby learn to chew, and lets them safely explore new foods. It was invited by a man whose child choked to death [I can not even imagine :( ]. I put everything in these, all types of fruits and veggies. They can be raw, frozen or cooked. Frozen fruit and ice cubes are perfect for teething babies. Also, our little guy hates pedialyte, but he loves the frozen pedialyte pops. So we put chunks in here when he is sick.

#2. Rock and play sleeper

When my mom first got this for me, I wasn't to sure about it. But I will now always have one of these for any more kids I have. They are amazing. They can sit right next to your bed at night, and little guy is belted in so you don't have to worry about them falling or rolling over. It rocks if they start to wake. It has an incline for baby to lay, which is a lifesaver if your little one has reflux like mine did. It literally folds flat for storage and travel. And its small enough I could push it from room to room if he was sleeping while I was cleaning, showering, etc. 

#3. Bottle Warmer

I loved this bottle warmer! My mother in law gave it to us and it was perfect especially for late night feedings. There is a cooler in the back that holds 2 bottles. So you can make the bottles before you go to bed (could be breast milk or formula) and leave them in there for up to 12 hours. The side has to glass containers you measure water in to put in the steamer when you warm your bottle. What I did was put the water in those so in the middle of the night we just had to grab a bottle and poor the water in and steam. Made the Hubs a lot happier. 

#4 Twinkle Twinkle Scout

This little dog rocks! It has a whole bunch of nap time songs and lullabies to play when little one falls asleep. But my absolute favorite part is the nature sounds. Puts our little guy right to sleep! I think we honestly use it every night.

#5 Bottle Brush

I know I know, simple enough. But who doesn't  love these?? They work with every bottle and sippy cup. Also, they work wonders on those mesh feeders I told you about.








#6. Car Seat Cover

This lover cover was made by my hubs, yup you heard me right. He is the creative sewer in this family. These are perfect. Not only are they helpful in those winter months, they also help keep out prying bystanders at the grocery store & yucky germs from kids drippy sneezy noses.






So that's my list. There are definitely more, but these are my top go-to ones! What are some of your favorite baby items? Maybe some baby items you could definitely live with out?